Fine, driving ban for KPE tunnel stunt

A self-employed man convicted of dangerous driving and failing to stop after his car was involved in an accident with another vehicle in an expressway tunnel was fined $3,600 and banned from driving for a year yesterday.

Lee Kim Chien, 42, pleaded guilty last month to driving dangerously on the Kallang Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) and failing to stop after the accident on July 24 last year.

A witness, Mr Tan Kok Huat, told police that he was driving in the KPE tunnel when, in his rear-view mirror, he saw a black Hyundai Tuscani and a red Mercedes-Benz weaving in and out of traffic. One car then went to the far left of the three-lane tunnel, the other to the rightmost lane.

Both drivers then overtook Mr Tan, 40, resulting in a near collision between Lee's Hyundai and the Mercedes-Benz being driven by Teo Chan Hock, 44.

Teo - who has been fined $2,000 and banned from driving for three months - swerved back to the far-left lane, while Lee swerved to the right to avoid impact.

Lee then encroached into the lane of a Mitsubishi car being driven by Ms Ang Kim Siew, 47, and overtook it. He lost control and hit Ms Ang's vehicle, which was carrying her five-year-old son in the front seat and her sister in the back. Both vehicles veered to the left and into the centre lane.

Assistant Public Prosecutor Lim Yu Hui said Lee regained control of his car, moved to the far-left lane and sped away.

Teo changed to the far-right lane and left at speed. They overtook each other without signalling as they were exiting the tunnel.

Lee approached the slip road into Tampines Road, picked up speed and cut across the chevron marking of the expressway in an attempt to trail Teo's car, which was travelling along the KPE's road shoulder. Lee was arrested five days later.

District Judge John Ng said a driving ban was justified: "He had demonstrated total disregard for the safe usage of our roads." Mr Ng added that the ban also served to protect the public and deter others from driving dangerously.

elena@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Sep 10, 2014. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.